We try the… Victorinox SwissTool Spirit Multi-Tool

Verdict: + Beautifully made, excellent quality. - Unsprung pliers

Design and build quality

The SwissTool Spirit from Victorinox is beautifully-designed. A true ‘gentleman’s’ multi-tool which could be kept in the glovebox of a Bentley, or left on some large mahogany business exec’s desk, and not look out of place. We loved the sleek and stylish shape, and with the main flat-ended knife blade out, it takes on the familiarity of a traditional barber’s razor, albeit with a concave handle design, rather than the razor’s convex helve.

Because it looks so elegant though, does this mean the SwissTool Spirit  is lacklustre when it comes to use? Absolutely not! The build quality of the Victorinox is excellent, and the metal used on any of the tools is definitely not low-grade. Even the blade unlock catches are crafted and patterned with looks and ease of use in mind.

Our favourite features

Usually, we really, really don’t like a combined serrated/straight-edged blade on a knife. There’s generally not enough length of either edge to be effective on whichever surface you are using it on. However, although the SwissTool’s flat-ended blade is 80% serrated and 20% straight-edged, we found it to be a great combination – in fact, probably the best combo-blade of any of the multi-tools we tested. It’s sharp enough to cut or whittle wood on either part of the blade too, without the serrated edge digging in and jamming.

The wood saw is also one of the best we’ve come across on a multi-tool. It is long, slim and the teeth are extremely sharp and highly aggressive, reminding us of a Caiman’s jaws. The saw ripped through wood with ease, quickly and effectively. Our other liked feature of the Victorinox was the metal file, which not only has a good depth to the file ridges, but also incorporates a metal saw which works well. We also found the the Phillips posi-drive screwdriver to be good, with a long reach and well-shaped, strong edges.

Any drawbacks?

Our dislikes on the Swisstool Spirit were firstly the fact the pliers were not sprung, and also that when using the pliers under a lot of pressure the thin handles of the tool tend to dig into your hands making it uncomfortable. We felt the pincer-end teeth also were not grippy enough and needed to be slightly deeper, although the main teeth in the centre were nice ‘n chunky.

Price

At nearly £102 rrp, this is a rather expensive tool. However, the prices vary hugely across the ‘net, and we’ve spotted them for as little as £75. The SwissTool Spirit is well worth the asking price though and is a real quality piece of kit all-round, even down to the beautiful leather pouch it comes with.

Who’s it for?

The Victorinox SwissTool Spirit is perfect for the man-about-shed (and town). While very functional, it still retains a smart and elegant look. It’s got all you’ll need for messing about in the garage with wood (or metal) or for fixing basics on your vehicle. As a gift for someone into their finer things, this will be perfect and definitely appreciated.

Need-To-Know Info:

+ Finely crafted, high quality, good features

- Pliers not sprung, another plain blade would have been nice

Weight: 248 grams (8.7oz) | Dimensions closed (mm); Length 105, Width 35, Height 16 | Functions: Details here | Colours: Bare metal only | Website: (click) Victorinox.com | RRP: £101.99 / $98.00 (prices vary hugely)

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Thanks to Burton-McCall  for supplying the Victorinox.

Words: Chris Davies | Photo’s: Chris.D, Matt Davies | Other Testers: Nath Fielder